Lateral exercise slide

ABSTRACT

A laterally sliding exercise device includes a base with rails that receive a foot platform. The rails are supported by a center support member that can be adjusted up and down resulting in a change in elevation of first ends of the rails. The change in elevation of the rails changes the resistance of the exercise device. Rollers slidingly connect the foot platform to the rails during operation.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This application claims priority from a provisional patentapplication having Ser. No. 60/474,732 and was filed on May 30, 2003.

A. FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses ofexercising equipment and more specifically to the art of methods andapparatuses directed to a lateral slide exercise machine.

B. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0003] Not only fitness experts, but also the health care industry,agree that a key component to a healthy lifestyle is regular exercise.As such, the fitness industry has experienced a surge in customer demandfor exercise equipment, videos and related items to achieve and maintainthat healthy lifestyle. Different fitness equipment is available totarget certain muscle groups and the type of workout desired.

[0004] One of the most popular types of physical activity is aerobicexercise. During aerobic exercise, large muscle groups are usedcontinuously and rhythmically to elevate the heart rate. If aerobicexercise and a healthy diet are maintained over a period of time, thiscan result in weight loss and improved muscle tone. The availability ofexercise equipment, videos and exercise classes focused on aerobicactivity is continuously increasing. Further, exercise equipment designsenable the user to target certain muscle groups.

[0005] Muscle groups that may be specifically targeted are the inner andouter thighs, buttocks and abdominal muscles. In order to focus on thesemuscle groups, lateral side-to-side movement is desirable. There arealso exercise devices that provide cardiovascular exercise utilizingside-to-side movement. What is needed is a laterally sliding exercisedevice that allows for adjustment of the elevation of the laterallysliding foot platform in order to adjust the intensity of the user'sworkout.

II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The subject invention includes a base section that may beconstructed from generally tubular frame members. A handle may extendfrom the frame members for use in providing an associated operator aplace to hold onto during use of the exercise device. A first set ofrails may be mounted in a parallel configuration onto the frame membersand oriented laterally with respect to a forward direction. A second setof parallel rails may be juxtaposed to the first set of rails such thatthe first and second sets of rails are parallel with respect to eachother. Each of the pairs of rails may be pivotally mounted to the centersupport. The center support may be selectively adjustable up and downwherein the pivotally attached sets of rails move at first respectiveends up and down with the center support. A slide member may beslidingly attached to the rails via rollers. In this way, the rollersallow the foot platform to slide laterally back and forth along therails. When the center support is adjusted up, the sliding resistance isincreased. Similarly when the center support is lowered, the slidingresistance is decreased.

[0007] According to once aspect of the present invention, a lateralslide exercise apparatus, comprises a base member having a forwardfacing direction for an associated operator; at least a first pair ofparallel rails having first and second ends, the first pair parallelrails being selectively adjustable up and down at the first end, thefirst pair of parallel rails being laterally oriented with respect tothe forward facing direction; and, a first foot rest movably mounted tothe at least a first pair of parallel rails.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lateralslide exercise apparatus further comprising a second pair of parallelrails having first and second ends, the second pair of parallel railsbeing selectively adjustable up and down at the first end, the secondpair of parallel rails being laterally oriented with respect to theforward facing direction and oppositely disposed from the first pair ofparallel rails.

[0009] Further, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus a second foot rest movably mounted tothe second pair of parallel rails.

[0010] Still yet, another object of the present invention is to providea lateral slide exercise apparatus wherein the second foot rest isoperatively connected to the first foot rest such that movement of thesecond foot rest is dependent on the movement of said first foot rest.

[0011] Further yet, another object of the present invention is toprovide a lateral slide exercise apparatus wherein said first pair ofparallel rails is curvilinear.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lateralslide exercise apparatus, further comprising at least one handleoperatively connected to the base member, said handle being selectivelyremovably connected to the base member.

[0013] Still, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus, wherein the base member furthercomprises first and second U-shaped members fastened together at acenter region of the base member.

[0014] Further, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus he exercise apparatus furthercomprising a center rail support member operatively connected to thebase member, the center rail support member having a foundation portionand a telescoping portion, the foundation portion and telescopingportion having holes for receiving a pin to lock the position of thetelescoping portion in place with respect to the foundation portion.

[0015] Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus, wherein the first pair of parallelrails has an angle of inclination, the angle of inclination adapted tochange as the center rail support member is selectively adjusted up ordown.

[0016] Still yet, another object of the present invention is to providea lateral slide exercise apparatus further comprising rollers rotatablyconnected to the first pair of parallel rails such that the first footrest is slidably moveable relative to the first pair of parallel rails.

[0017] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus comprising a base member having aforward facing direction for an associated operator; a first rail havingfirst and second ends, the first rail being laterally oriented withrespect to the forward facing direction, the first rail beingcurvilinear; and, a slide member movably mounted to the first rail.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lateralslide exercise apparatus, wherein the first rail is selectivelyadjustable up and down.

[0019] Further, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus further comprising a center railsupport member, the center rail support member having adjusting means toselectively move the first rail up and down.

[0020] Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus, wherein the adjusting means comprisesa pin selectively removable in holes defined in a foundation portion andtelescoping portion of the central support member.

[0021] Still, another object of the present invention is to provide alateral slide exercise apparatus comprising a center rail supportmember, wherein the first rail is pivotally attached to the center railsupport member.

[0022] Still yet, another object of the present invention is to providea lateral slide exercise apparatus wherein the slide member furthercomprises generally parallel telescoping legs.

[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lateralslide exercise apparatus, wherein the generally parallel telescopinglegs are selectively movable, the parallel telescoping legs adapted toincrease the degree of difficulty experienced by the operator duringuse.

[0024] It is yet still another object of the present invention is toprovide a lateral slide exercise apparatus, further comprising lockingclamps for securely holding the telescoping legs in place.

[0025] Another object of the present invention is to provide a methodfor using a lateral exercise slide, comprising the steps of:

[0026] providing a base member having a forward facing direction for anassociated operator, a first pair and a second pair of parallelcurvilinear rails, each pair of rails having first and second ends, thefirst pair of parallel rails being laterally oriented with respect tothe forward facing direction, and a slide member movably mounted to thefirst and second pairs of parallel rails;

[0027] tilting the slide member to one side;

[0028] placing one foot on the slide member;

[0029] placing another foot on the slide member;

[0030] gripping handle members; and

[0031] moving the slide member laterally.

[0032] Further, another object of the present invention is to provide amethod of using a lateral exercise slide, wherein the lateral exerciseslide further comprises a center support member that is selectivelymovable in a vertical direction.

[0033] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method ofusing a lateral exercise slide, further comprising the step of:

[0034] adjusting the height of the center support member so as toincrease or decrease the level of difficulty of the lateral exerciseslide.

[0035] Still other benefits and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon a readingand understanding of the following detailed specification.

III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The invention may take physical form in certain parts andarrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be describedin detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings which form a part hereof and wherein:

[0037]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

[0038]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1.

[0039]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

[0040]FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG. 1.

[0041]FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG. 1.

[0042]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0043] Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are forpurposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention onlyand not for purposes of limiting the same, FIGS. 1-6 depict a lateralslide exercise machine shown generally at 1. The lateral slide exercisemachine 1 may include first and second handle members 3 supported by ahandle frame section 4. The lateral slide exercise machine 1 may alsoinclude a base section 7. In one embodiment, the handle frame section 4terminates on one end at the base section 7. The handle frame section 4may be fixedly connected to the base section and supported thereby.Alternately, the handle frame portion 4 may be selectively removablyconnected with respect to the base section 7. The base section 7 may begenerally elongate in configuration for use in providing a stable basefor operation of the slide member, to be discussed in a subsequentparagraph. The lateral slide exercise machine 1 may also include a railassembly 10 that slopes upward at selectively varying heights, which issupported by a center rail support member 13. The rail assembly 10 mayinclude first and second rails 11, 12 positioned substantially parallelwith respect to each other. For clarity the first rail 11 or inner rail11 may reside closer to the handle frame section 4 and the second orouter rail 12 may reside opposite the handle members 3 and the handleframe section 4. In the preferred embodiment, a slide member 19 isincluded that rides along the first and second rails 11, 12 in a lateralmotion. The slide member 19 may include first and second foot rests 22,23 disposed on opposite sides of the center rail support member 13,which will be discussed in subsequent paragraph. Resultantly, anassociated user may place each foot on one of the foot rests 22, 23. Bygripping the handle members 3, the associated operator may generatelateral motion of the slide member 19 with respect to the rails 11, 12.In this embodiment, the operator is facing a forward direction that issubstantially perpendicular to the lateral motion of the slide member19. A first axis is defined as coincident to the direction that theassociated operator is facing and perpendicular to the lateral motion ofthe slide member 19.

[0044] With continued reference to FIG. 1 and now to FIGS. 2 and 3, thebase section 7 may be constructed from first and second U-shaped membersfastened together at a center region of the base section 7. The firstand second U-shaped members may be structural tubing, although anystructural support material may be used for constructing the first andsecond U-shaped members. The base section 7 is intended to support therail assembly 10. Therefore, any configuration of base section 7 may bechosen with sound engineering judgment as is appropriate for supportingthe rail assembly 10. The first side of the base section 7 may includehandle frame supports 25, shown in FIG. 1. In this way, the handle framesection 4 is affixed and extended from the base section 7.

[0045] Turning now to the center rail support member 13, FIGS. 1-3 showmember 13 extending upward substantially perpendicular with respect tothe base section 7. In one embodiment, the center rail support member 13may be welded to the base section 7. However, any means of affixing thecenter rail support member 13 to the base section 7 may be chosen withsound engineering judgment. The center rail support member 13 mayinclude a foundation portion 28 and telescoping portion 29. The portions28, 29 may have fashioned therein corresponding holes for use inreceiving a pin 32 that locks the position of the telescoping portion 28in place with respect to the foundation portion 29. In this manner, thetelescoping portion may have a plurality of sets of holes, while thefoundation portion may have one set of holes for use in selectivelymanually adjusting the height of the center rail support member 13. Atthe top end 35 of the telescoping portion 29, the rail assembly 10 maybe rotationally connected with respect to the telescoping portion 29 ofthe center rail support member 13. In this manner, when the center railsupport member 13 is selectively manually adjusted, the angle ofinclination or slope of the rail assembly 10 changes respectively. Thiswill be discussed further in the following paragraph.

[0046] With continued reference to FIGS. 1-4, the rail assembly 10 willnow be discussed. The rail assembly 10 may be comprised of first andsecond rails 11, 12 as previously discussed. Additionally, the railassembly 10 may include first and second sets of rails 11, 12 pivotallyjoined together at a center rail pivot member 38. In this manner, facingthe direction that an associated operator would face gripping the handlemembers 3, the first rail set 40 slopes down and to the left andconsequently the second rail set 41 slopes down and to the right. Thesets of rails 40, 41 may independently be rigid members. That is to saythat each individual set of rails 40, 41 may be rigid. However, the railsets 40 and 41 move or pivot with respect to each other as an entirerail system. It is noted that rails 11, 12 are curvilinear. In oneembodiment, the rails 11, 12 may be concavely curved. That is to saythat the first set of rails 40 may be concavely curved and that thesecond set of the rails 41 may be concavely curved. Any degree ofconcavity may be chosen with sound engineering judgment includingsubstantially linear rails. Keeping in mind that the center rail supportmember 13 extends up and down and that the rails 40, 41 pivot withrespective to the degree of up and down center rail support memberadjustment, the slope of the rails is therefore adjusted in accordancewith the adjustment of the center rail support member 13. This functionsto alter the degree of difficulty that the associated operatorexperiences when using the machine 1.

[0047] With reference now to FIGS. 1-6, the slide member 19 may includea generally rectangular slide base member 42. It should be noted thatany configuration of slide base member may be chosen with soundengineering judgment. The slide base member 42 may subsequently includegenerally parallel telescoping legs 44. The telescoping legs 44 mayinclude locking clamps 46 for use in securely holding the selectivelyadjustable telescoping legs 44 in place once the desired length ofextension has been determined. This functions to additionally adjust thedegree of difficulty experienced by the operator during use. The ends48, 49 of the slide base member 42 may include foot rests 22, 23respectively. The foot rests 22, 23 may be fixedly attached with respectto the slide base member 42 for use in receiving the feet of theassociated operator. It is noted that the foot rests 22, 23 reside onthe top of the slide base member 42. The foot rests may also includefoot securing means (not shown), such as but not limited to, straps ortoe clips to aid in preventing the operator's foot from slipping. Thefoot rests may also have a non-skid material positioned thereon. Rollers51 are rotatably connected to the underside of the slide base member 42.The rollers 51 are positioned on the slide member 19 such that therollers 51 ride on the rails 11, 12 allowing the slide member 19 to movelaterally back and forth during operation. Any type of rollers 51 may beused as chosen with sound engineering judgment. The rollers 51 mayinclude top and bottom sets of roller members that grip the top andbottom sides of the rails 11, 12. This prevents the slide member 19 fromcoming off of the rails during use.

[0048] With reference now to all of the FIGURES, operation of thelateral slide exercise machine will now be discussed. An associatedoperator may adjust the height of center rail support member by pullingout the pin and manually moving the center rail support member to thedesired height. The operator would then reinsert the pin into therespective hole. In this manner, the center rail support member hasdiscrete levels of adjustment. The operator may then tilt the slidemember to one side and place one foot on the first foot rest.Subsequently the operator would place the other foot on the other footrest and proceed to balance themselves and the slide member on therails. Gripping the handle members the operator would then engage theslide member laterally by forcing the each side of the slide down withthe respective foot and leg. The higher the adjustment of the centerrail support member, the more difficult it is engage the slide member.

[0049] In another embodiment of the present invention, another exercisecan be performed. The operator may turn sidewise, such that his or hertorso is perpendicular to the handle frame section 4. The operator restshis or her arm or hand on one of the handle members 3. Each foot ispositioned on one of the foot rests 22, 23. The operator then proceedswith a rocking motion front to back shifting his or her weight from theball of the foot to the heel. This exercise strengthens and tones thegluteus muscles.

[0050] The preferred embodiments have been described, hereinabove. Itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods mayincorporate changes and modifications without departing from the generalscope of this invention. It is intended to include all suchmodifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope ofthe appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

[0051] Having thus described the invention, it is now claimed:

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise apparatus, comprising: a base memberhaving a forward facing direction for an associated operator; at least afirst pair of parallel rails having first and second ends, the firstpair parallel rails being selectively adjustable up and down at thefirst end, the first pair of parallel rails being laterally orientedwith respect to the forward facing direction; and, a first foot restmovably mounted to the at least a first pair of parallel rails.
 2. Theexercise apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a second pair ofparallel rails having first and second ends, the second pair of parallelrails being selectively adjustable up and down at the first end, thesecond pair of parallel rails being laterally oriented with respect tothe forward facing direction and oppositely disposed from the first pairof parallel rails.
 3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, furthercomprising: a second foot rest movably mounted to the second pair ofparallel rails.
 4. The exercise apparatus of claim 3, wherein the secondfoot rest is operatively connected to the first foot rest such thatmovement of the second foot rest is dependent on the movement of saidfirst foot rest.
 5. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidfirst pair of parallel rails is curvilinear.
 6. The exercise apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: at least one handle operativelyconnected to the base member, said handle being selectively removablyconnected to the base member.
 7. The exercise apparatus of claim 1,wherein the base member further comprises first and second U-shapedmembers fastened together at a center region of the base member.
 8. Theexercise apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a center rail supportmember operatively connected to the base member, the center rail supportmember having a foundation portion and a telescoping portion, thefoundation portion and telescoping portion having holes for receiving apin to lock the position of the telescoping portion in place withrespect to the foundation portion.
 9. The exercise apparatus of claim 8,wherein the first pair of parallel rails has an angle of inclination,the angle of inclination adapted to change as the center rail supportmember is selectively adjusted up or down.
 10. The exercise apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: rollers rotatably connected to the firstpair of parallel rails such that the first foot rest is slidablymoveable relative to the first pair of parallel rails.
 11. A lateralslide exercise apparatus comprising: a base member having a forwardfacing direction for an associated operator; a first rail having firstand second ends, the first rail being laterally oriented with respect tothe forward facing direction, the first rail being curvilinear; and, aslide member movably mounted to the first rail.
 12. The lateral slideexercise apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first rail is selectivelyadjustable up and down.
 13. The lateral slide exercise apparatus ofclaim 12, further comprising a center rail support member, the centerrail support member having adjusting means to selectively move the firstrail up and down.
 14. The lateral slide exercise apparatus of claim 13,wherein the adjusting means comprises a pin selectively removable inholes defined in a foundation portion and telescoping portion of thecentral support member.
 15. The lateral slide exercise apparatus ofclaim 11, further comprising a center rail support member, wherein thefirst rail is pivotally attached to the center rail support member. 16.The lateral slide exercise apparatus of claim 11, wherein the slidemember further comprises generally parallel telescoping legs.
 17. Thelateral slide exercise apparatus of claim 16, wherein the generallyparallel telescoping legs are selectively movable, the paralleltelescoping legs adapted to increase the degree of difficultyexperienced by the operator during use.
 18. The lateral exerciseapparatus of claim 16, further comprising locking clamps for securelyholding the telescoping legs in place.
 19. A method for using a lateralexercise slide, comprising the steps of: providing a base member havinga forward facing direction for an associated operator, a first pair anda second pair of parallel curvilinear rails, each pair of rails havingfirst and second ends, the first pair of parallel rails being laterallyoriented with respect to the forward facing direction, and a slidemember movably mounted to the first and second pairs of parallel rails;tilting the slide member to one side; placing one foot on the slidemember; placing another foot on the slide member; gripping handlemembers; and moving the slide member laterally.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the lateral exercise slide further comprises a centersupport member that is selectively movable in a vertical direction. 21.The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of: adjusting theheight of the center support member so as to increase or decrease thelevel of difficulty of the lateral exercise slide.